TOP 30 CUBS PROSPECTS?

[RyCubsFan]

Now that the season is done, I’d like to hear people’s opinions on the Cubs prospects. It seems to me that the Cubs—though lacking many top surefire prospects—still have a deep system. Take pitchers such as Nolasco, Pinto, Ryu, and Marshall from Double A: all are legitimate prospects with a chance to be a solid #3 starter, however none of the four projects to be a future ace.

 

That said, here’s a shot at a Cubs top 30 list. Do I have any glaring omissions? Any prospects you feel are way too low or way too high? What would be your top 30?

 

1. Felix Pie

2. Matt Murton

3. Ronnie Cedeno

4. Angel Guzman

5. Ryan Harvey

6. Sean Gallagher

7. Eric Patterson

8. Sean Marshall

9. Brian Dopirak

10. Rich Hill

11. Mark Pawelek

12. Renyel Pinto

13. Brandon Sing

14. Ricky Nolasco

15. Scott Moore

16. Carlos Marmol

17. Jae Kuk Ryu

18. Sam Fuld

19. David Aardsma

20. Jake Fox

21. Grant Johnson

22. Geovanni Soto

23. Jermaine Van Buren

24. Donald Veal

25. Bobby Brownlie

26. Luis Montanez

27. Adam Greenberg

28. Ryan Theriot

29. Mike Fontenot

30. Mark Reed

 

Honorable Mention: Billy Petrick, Chad Blasko, Luke Hagerty

Edited October 4, 2005 by RyCubsFan

[burnt out cubbie fan]

11. Luke Pawelek

I know that much isn't right. (plus I would put him in the top 10)

[Tim]

At least you have the #1 catcher correct. :D

[sporrer17]

Aardsma could go a lot higher.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Aardsma could go a lot higher.

Really? I thought that was a bit high..

[sporrer17]

He's 23, so he's still fairly young. He's got big league experience. He has good stuff, and he had his moments, when in relief, in which he was unhittable. Other times he was off...his consistency is holding him back.

 

Okay so maybe not "A lot" higher, but possibly around 12-13...outside shot at the top 10 just on upside.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

He's 23, so he's still fairly young. He's got big league experience. He has good stuff, and he had his moments, when in relief, in which he was unhittable. Other times he was off...his consistency is holding him back.

 

Okay so maybe not "A lot" higher, but possibly around 12-13...outside shot at the top 10 just on upside.

If he was a starter I would say yes but an inconsistant reliever isn't worthy of a top 15 slot in a deep system like the one the Cubs have.

[Chris]

If he was a starter I would say yes but an inconsistant reliever isn't worthy of a top 15 slot in a deep system like the one the Cubs have.

 

If innings were 2 outs he would be money! Hopefully he has a good showing in the AFL.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

it's amazing how high murton vaulted this year. no way was he top 10 at the start of this season (maybe top 15).

[burnt out cubbie fan]

If he was a starter I would say yes but an inconsistant reliever isn't worthy of a top 15 slot in a deep system like the one the Cubs have.

 

If innings were 2 outs he would be money! Hopefully he has a good showing in the AFL.

Agreed. I like his future and all but I don't think he belongs in the top 15-20 area.

[Tedward]

A decent list, but I would take Murton and Cedeno off of it since they are no longer considered prospects/rookies. Murton exceeded the total of bats requirement of 135 AB's, burning his rookie status, and Cedeno exceeded the ML service time requirement.

[RyCubsFan]

11. Luke Pawelek

I know that much isn't right. (plus I would put him in the top 10)

 

Ha, good catch! Corrected now for da man's REAL name. :oops:

 

I had a hard time rating him since he's so new to the Cubs system...and he's so far down the system. I thought the 11 spot was generous. After all, he's above Pinto, among others. Pinto has had outstanding double A numbers, where as Pawelek just cracked Boise. You're right though that he has great potential. Who would you replace in the top ten?

[RyCubsFan]

At least you have the #1 catcher correct. :D

 

Ha, thanks Tim! I like how Fox's power numbers improved as the year went on. I think Fox has a lot of potential. PLUS he's a Michigan guy, which is always a plus in my book (I used to go to all the UM games). Any reports on how Fox is progressing defensively?

 

Any big changes you would make to the list Tim?

[RyCubsFan]

Aardsma could go a lot higher.

 

Like you, I like Aardsma. Who you would you replace on the list though. I think Aardsma being so low reflects strongly on the Cubs system (and not negatively on David). I think everyone in the top 30 has a very good chance at playing in the majors. Indeed, some of them already have!

[RyCubsFan]

it's amazing how high murton vaulted this year. no way was he top 10 at the start of this season (maybe top 15).

 

That's a great point. It's a reflection of Matt's work ethic probably. He's really had a tremendous year. Way to go Matt! I like what Hendry said about him on MLB.com....that after he had a few defensive miscues, he worked his ass off overtime to improve his play in the outfield. I'd venture to say that's a big reason why he shot up the list.

[RyCubsFan]

A decent list, but I would take Murton and Cedeno off of it since they are no longer considered prospects/rookies. Murton exceeded the total of bats requirement of 135 AB's, burning his rookie status, and Cedeno exceeded the ML service time requirement.

 

Thanks Tedward! Yeah, I cheated by including them. But I like them too much to have kept them off! I mean, I restrained myself by not ranking Mitre. He would have been a top ten for me. I still have a lot of faith in Sergio.

[Tim]

At least you have the #1 catcher correct. :D

 

Ha, thanks Tim! I like how Fox's power numbers improved as the year went on. I think Fox has a lot of potential. PLUS he's a Michigan guy, which is always a plus in my book (I used to go to all the UM games). Any reports on how Fox is progressing defensively?

 

Any big changes you would make to the list Tim?

Yes, but my top 30 list won't be coming out for a while! :D

 

I'd move Aardsma down - but I always am tough on relief prospects.

 

Marmol is too low.

 

Pawelek is too low.

 

There's more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

[burnt out cubbie fan]

11. Luke Pawelek

 

I know that much isn't right. (plus I would put him in the top 10)

 

Ha, good catch! Corrected now for da man's REAL name. :oops:

 

I had a hard time rating him since he's so new to the Cubs system...and he's so far down the system. I thought the 11 spot was generous. After all, he's above Pinto, among others. Pinto has had outstanding double A numbers, where as Pawelek just cracked Boise. You're right though that he has great potential. Who would you replace in the top ten?

The thing is, he has by far the highest potential out of any of the prospects in the system (of players not named Guzman). Despite the fact that he is low in the system, he pretty much dominated rookie ball (outside of the wildness) and has really good stuff. I'm not sure who I would replace but I would probably put him in the 6-8 range.

[CubsWin]

I would have Marmol quite a bit higher, Marshall maybe one or two slots higher and possibly Pawelek in the top 10, though, I haven't really seen enough of him yet. Though, an arguement could be made on his age alone.

[RyCubsFan]

At least you have the #1 catcher correct. :D

 

Ha, thanks Tim! I like how Fox's power numbers improved as the year went on. I think Fox has a lot of potential. PLUS he's a Michigan guy, which is always a plus in my book (I used to go to all the UM games). Any reports on how Fox is progressing defensively?

 

Any big changes you would make to the list Tim?

Yes, but my top 30 list won't be coming out for a while! :D

 

I'd move Aardsma down - but I always am tough on relief prospects.

 

Marmol is too low.

 

Pawelek is too low.

 

There's more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

 

Yes, but you actually never came out with a list of your own last year! :wink: PLUS I challange you to come out with a list BEFORE Baseball America (among others) comes out with their lists. After all, it's too easy to see how the others do the rankings...and then do them, right...?

 

I like the group moderator top 30 prospects that you came up with...however, I'd welcome you doing your own list as well this year.

 

I wanted to have Aardsma a little further down as well to be honest. I also wanted to fit in McGehee somewhere...he's in there with the 20-30 group I believe.

 

I'd be interested to know how you rank the lefties: Marshall, Hill, Pawelek, and Pinto...

Edited October 4, 2005 by RyCubsFan

[RyCubsFan]

11. Luke Pawelek

 

I know that much isn't right. (plus I would put him in the top 10)

 

Ha, good catch! Corrected now for da man's REAL name. :oops:

 

I had a hard time rating him since he's so new to the Cubs system...and he's so far down the system. I thought the 11 spot was generous. After all, he's above Pinto, among others. Pinto has had outstanding double A numbers, where as Pawelek just cracked Boise. You're right though that he has great potential. Who would you replace in the top ten?

The thing is, he has by far the highest potential out of any of the prospects in the system (of players not named Guzman). Despite the fact that he is low in the system, he pretty much dominated rookie ball (outside of the wildness) and has really good stuff. I'm not sure who I would replace but I would probably put him in the 6-8 range.

 

You're right that his potential is very high. In part this is because of his age, so we're not sure what he is capable (or not capable) of yet. So we can let our imaginations run wild. Since he is so young and has not had the chance to pitch a fullseason in professional baseball yet, it hasn't even been determined that his arm can handle a full season. Like Petrick last year, he could get hurt and fall into seeming obscurity. For this reason, I chose to be a little conservative on him.

 

Anyone hear about Petrick btw? Any word on how his recovery has been? Is he expected to be back and healthy next year?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Here's something to chew on:

 

1. Felix Pie

2. Angel Guzman - more a comment on the state of the Cubs farm system than anything else

3. Ryan Harvey

4. Mark Pawelek

5. Sean Marshall

6. Carlos Marmol

7. Brandon Sing

8. Rich Hill

9. Brian Dopirak

10. Eric Patterson

11. Sean Gallagher

12. Renyel Pinto

13. Ricky Nolasco

14. Scott Moore

15. Donald Veal

 

Very rough, I probably would change things around if you asked me this tomorrow.

 

I'd have ranked Cedeno 2nd and Murton 4th.

[Tim]

At least you have the #1 catcher correct. :D

 

Ha, thanks Tim! I like how Fox's power numbers improved as the year went on. I think Fox has a lot of potential. PLUS he's a Michigan guy, which is always a plus in my book (I used to go to all the UM games). Any reports on how Fox is progressing defensively?

 

Any big changes you would make to the list Tim?

Yes, but my top 30 list won't be coming out for a while! :D

 

I'd move Aardsma down - but I always am tough on relief prospects.

 

Marmol is too low.

 

Pawelek is too low.

 

There's more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

 

Yes, but you actually never came out with a list of your own last year! :wink: PLUS I challange you to come out with a list BEFORE Baseball America (among others) comes out with their lists. After all, it's too easy to see how the others do the rankings...and then do them, right...?

 

I like the group moderator top 30 prospects that you came up with...however, I'd welcome you doing your own list as well this year.

 

I wanted to have Aardsma a little further down as well to be honest. I also wanted to fit in McGehee somewhere...he's in there with the 20-30 group I believe.

 

I'd be interested to know how you rank the lefties: Marshall, Hill, Pawelek, and Pinto...

I'll see what we can do to get something out earlier this year. We were considering a much larger project last year and I think that delayed things a bit. But we'll see what we can do this year.

 

The lefties... (off the cuff and subject to change)

 

Upside:

 

Pawelek

Hill

Pinto

Marshall

 

Closest to ready:

 

Hill

Marshall

Pinto

Pawelek

 

Likeliest to contribute something meaningful:

 

Hill

Marshall

Pinto

Pawelek

 

Overall:

 

Hill

Pawelek

Pinto

Marshall

[rawaction]

At least you have the #1 catcher correct. :D

 

Ha, thanks Tim! I like how Fox's power numbers improved as the year went on. I think Fox has a lot of potential. PLUS he's a Michigan guy, which is always a plus in my book (I used to go to all the UM games). Any reports on how Fox is progressing defensively?

 

Any big changes you would make to the list Tim?

Yes, but my top 30 list won't be coming out for a while! :D

 

I'd move Aardsma down - but I always am tough on relief prospects.

 

Marmol is too low.

 

Pawelek is too low.

 

There's more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

 

Yes, but you actually never came out with a list of your own last year! :wink: PLUS I challange you to come out with a list BEFORE Baseball America (among others) comes out with their lists. After all, it's too easy to see how the others do the rankings...and then do them, right...?

 

I like the group moderator top 30 prospects that you came up with...however, I'd welcome you doing your own list as well this year.

 

I wanted to have Aardsma a little further down as well to be honest. I also wanted to fit in McGehee somewhere...he's in there with the 20-30 group I believe.

 

I'd be interested to know how you rank the lefties: Marshall, Hill, Pawelek, and Pinto...

I'll see what we can do to get something out earlier this year. We were considering a much larger project last year and I think that delayed things a bit. But we'll see what we can do this year.

 

The lefties... (off the cuff and subject to change)

 

Upside:

 

Pawelek

Hill

Pinto

Marshall

 

Closest to ready:

 

Hill

Marshall

Pinto

Pawelek

 

Likeliest to contribute something meaningful:

 

Hill

Marshall

Pinto

Pawelek

 

Overall:

 

Hill

Pawelek

Pinto

Marshall

 

The lefties are all pretty close. All may be in my top 10.

 

I'd say: Upside

 

Pawelek

Hill

Pinto

Marshall (with the last 3 being extremely close, all having #3 starter ceilings)

 

Closest to ready:

 

Hill

Pinto

Marshall (because he hasn't pitched many innings)

Pawelek (at least 4 years away)

 

Likely to contribute:

 

Same as Tim

 

Overall:

 

Hill

Marshall

Pinto

Pawelek

 

I like Marshall's control more than Pinto's, though they are extremely close. Pawelek could be #1 with a solid full-season in 06.